Hakuro (白露): White Dew
Morning dew begins to glisten white on grasses and flowers.
| Year | Date and time (Japan Standard Time) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Sep 7, 2025 (Sun) 17:52 |
| 2026 | Sep 7, 2026 (Mon) 23:41 |
| 2027 | Sep 8, 2027 (Wed) 5:28 |
Times are found from the sun's apparent longitude (Japan Standard Time).
What Hakuro means
Hakuro is a setsu (節, “joint”) term: in the eto calendar the Rooster month begins on this day. In Four Pillars and Nine Star Ki, the month's eto and star change at Hakuro.
Customs and seasonal food around Hakuro
Around the Chrysanthemum Festival on 9 September. In season: Japanese pears and Pacific saury.
The 72 kō of Hakuro
Each solar term is divided again into three periods of about five days, the 72 kō (七十二候, “microseasons”). The names here follow the 1874 Ryakuhon-reki almanac. The first person to adapt the Chinese names to Japan's own climate was the astronomer Shibukawa Harumi, in the Jōkyō calendar of 1685.
| Kō | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 草露白 | Dew glistens white on grass |
| 2nd | 鶺鴒鳴 | Wagtails sing |
| 3rd | 玄鳥去 | Swallows leave |
1st kō: Dew glistens white on grass (草露白)
Dew on the grass shines white, a kō found only in Japan, and the origin of the name Hakuro. The Chrysanthemum Festival on 9 September celebrates long life. Autumn is clearly in the air.
2nd kō: Wagtails sing (鶺鴒鳴)
Wagtails begin to sing, a kō found only in Japan. In Japanese myth the wagtail, bobbing its long tail by the water, taught the gods Izanagi and Izanami how to be husband and wife. Saury, pears and grapes fill the table.
3rd kō: Swallows leave (玄鳥去)
The swallows that came in spring head back south. It pairs with “swallows return” in Seimei. After raising their young, they set off in flocks. The autumn higan and Respect for the Aged Day are near, and in some years the harvest moon.